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Pastor's Desk Archive (April 2008)Pope Benedict Coming To Us: April 15 -20 (4/6/2008) Pope Benedict Coming To Us: April 15 -20 (4/6/2008)Pope Benedict XVI will celebrate his 81st birthday on the second day of his Apostolic visit to the United States. One has to admire his stamina and his determination in traveling such a great distance to show himself so clearly as a good shepherd to the more than 70 million Catholics (practicing and non-practicing) who live in the US. There are two principal reasons for his visit at this time:
He will be visiting just two cities: In Washington he will be visiting President Bush at the White House; celebrating an outdoor Eucharist at the new ballpark of the Nationals; and making a major address to the US Bishops concerning his vision for the Church. In New York City he will pay a visit to “Ground Zero” to pray for the victims of the 9/11 tragedy; and preside over two major celebrations of the Eucharist—one at Yankee Stadium and the other at St. Patrick’s Cathedral. While in NY, he will make a major address to the General Assembly of the United Nations. The media has already begun to “spin” the trip from their secular point of view. They are neatly dividing Catholics into “liberals or progressives” who “hope that the Pope will be more open to bringing the church’s practices and beliefs into alignment with the values of the modern world”; and “conservatives or traditionalists” who “hope that he will lay the law down for bishops and priests so that the church can return to its days of former glory prior to Vatican II.” This division and characterization does a great disservice to the Pope and to the tens of millions of faithful US Catholics for whom belonging to the Church is the key to their happiness and destiny. Pope Benedict is a man of great holiness and intelligence. Let’s start praying that Americans of every faith—but especially Catholics—will welcome his visit as an opportunity to listen with an open mind and heart to his talks and homilies—all of which will have the Risen Christ and our hope of glory in Him as their primary focus. Fr. Tony Taylor Named Bishop of Little Rock (4/13/2008)For the first time since 1972, when Fr. Jack Sullivan was named the bishop of Grand Island, Nebraska, an Oklahoma priest has been named a bishop. Since there are about 45,000 priests in the US and less than 300 diocesan bishops, this is a singular event and a cause for great rejoicing! I’ve known Fr. Taylor since the ‘70’s when he was a seminarian. He attended college seminary at my alma mater, St. Meinrad in Indiana. Because he was such a good student, he did his theological studies at the North American College in Rome (also known to some people as the training school for future bishops). He spent some time as a seminarian and a deacon working in Africa, prior to his ordination on August 2, 1980 in his hometown church of St. Mary’s in Ponca City. And who do you suppose was the associate pastor at Ponca at that time? None other than yours truly. Fr. Ernie Flusche, who died this past week at age 80, was the pastor. It was the first and only time that an ordination took place in the stately Kay County parish church; and it was a truly gala occasion. Fr. Taylor’s first assignment was to Sacred Heart in OKC. While there he demonstrated his sensitivity to the growing number of Spanish speaking Catholics by going out to central Oklahoma to celebrate Masses in Spanish. His next assignment took him to Elk City and Sayre in far western Oklahoma near where I was serving as pastor of Mangum and Hollis. He lived at the rectory in Sayre and so we got to know each other very well. He liked to cook and I remember him experimenting on me with some new recipes he had come across. We used to visit often. His next assignment took him to Fordham University in NYC where he earned a doctorate in Biblical Studies. Not long thereafter he was named the founding pastor of St. Monica’s in Edmond which became what Fr. Tony called “a total stewardship parish”. This meant he was committed to providing for the care and support of the parish through the time, talent, and treasure of the members themselves. As in few, if any, paid staff members. This effort was so successful that not long thereafter they were able to build a beautiful parish church without conducting a building fund drive since they could pay for everything, including debt payments. A few years ago, he returned to Sacred Heart in OKC as pastor where he has done an outstanding job ministering to the church’s thousands of Spanish speaking members. There are nine Masses on the weekend, seven of which are in Spanish, one in English, and one bi-lingual. He has been to St. Andrew’s on numerous occasions to help us with our Penance Rites, including the one in Advent right before the ice storm. He and I ended up having dinner together—just the two of us—afterwards. He knew that a dinner had been prepared and, by golly, wasn’t going to run along home even if that appeared the wiser course. That’s the kind of man he is. I began my seminary training for OK in Little Rock forty-three years ago. He will only be that 165 year old diocese’s seventh bishop (an average of 28 years for each). Our diocese suffers a great loss, but I am sure that he will be a marvelous shepherd for the 125,000 Catholics in Arkansas. God speed, Tony! The Voice Of A Good Shepherd (4/20/2008)Below are two excerpts from the Pope’s homily at the Mass in Washington, DC which especially deserve our attention: “I wish to offer a special word of gratitude and encouragement to all who have taken up the challenge of the Second Vatican Council by committing their lives to the new evangelization. I thank my brother Bishops, priests and deacons, men and women religious, parents, teachers and catechists. The fidelity and courage with which the Church in this country will respond to the challenges raised by an increasingly secular and materialistic culture will depend in large part upon your own fidelity in handing on the treasure of our Catholic faith. Young people need to be helped to discern the path that leads to true freedom: the path of a sincere and generous imitation of Christ, the path of commitment to justice and peace. Much progress has been made in developing solid programs of catechesis, yet so much more remains to be done in forming the hearts and minds of the young in knowledge and love of the Lord. The challenges confronting us require a comprehensive and sound instruction in the truths of the faith. But they also call for cultivating a mindset, an intellectual "culture", which is genuinely Catholic, confident in the profound harmony of faith and reason, and prepared to bring the richness of faith's vision to bear on the urgent issues which affect the future of American society.” “It is in the context of the hope born of God's love and fidelity that I acknowledge the pain which the Church in America has experienced as a result of the sexual abuse of minors. No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse. It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention. Nor can I adequately describe the damage that has occurred within the community of the Church. Great efforts have already been made to deal honestly and fairly with this tragic situation, and to ensure that children - whom our Lord loves so deeply (cf. Mk 10:14), and who are our greatest treasure - can grow up in a safe environment. These efforts to protect children must continue. Yesterday I spoke with your Bishops about this. Today I encourage each of you to do what you can to foster healing and reconciliation, and to assist those who have been hurt. Also, I ask you to love your priests, and to affirm them in the excellent work that they do. And above all, pray that the Holy Spirit will pour out his gifts upon the Church, the gifts that lead to conversion, forgiveness and growth in holiness.” Our Holy Father has come among us as a good shepherd. We would do well to listen to his voice and to have great confidence in following him along The Way. Love: More Than A Feeling (4/27/2008)It is definitely true that “God is love and those who abide in love abide in God and God in them.” But the love that is being spoken of is that by which we become willing to lay down our life for another...the kind of love that is synonymous with the actions of Jesus, our Lord and elder brother. This kind of love is all about decisive actions, not simple affections or feelings. It is not enough for any of us to simply say that “I love Jesus”. If we truly love Him then we must also follow His teachings. If we say we love Jesus and do not follow His teachings, St. John says we are liars. I think we all should be alarmed by the ways in which love has been distorted almost beyond recognition. People flaunt the teachings which prohibit sexual activity outside marriage and marital infidelity and often justify it by saying they’re in love. Among these people are those who insist on a right to both engage in sexual activity and to abort any unwanted child that may be conceived. All in the name of love? God loves us unconditionally because of the price that Jesus paid for our sins. He honors the love of His son by refusing to turn away from us even when we turn away from Him. It is for this reason that we risk committing the sin of blasphemy by claiming to love the Lord while refusing to obey his teachings. Is it that the teachings are so complex and difficult? Or are some of us just lazy and want to settle for a cheap and sentimental kind of love? His teachings are simple, but not easy to put into practice. He promises to give us all the help we need simply by calling upon Him so we can love one another as He has loved us….and so that we can love the Lord our God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength, and love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Let’s call upon the Lord this very day to give us the desire not simply to love Him but to show it by listening to His word and putting it into practice. |
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